Blog Archive

Many people feel better after their first ketamine treatment, and improvement builds from there. But occasionally patients feel worse after one or more of their treatments. One of the reasons can be that the ketamine treatment may correspond with revisiting trauma. This can be a great gift, allowing a patient...

Ketamine works for about 70-80% of patients - it is an excellent treatment. But there is more we can do to help it work better, and faster, and for longer.  Below are some of the free programs that I’ve found that are comprehensive, well-created and really helpful. The hardest part...

There are a few answers to this question, but probably the most significant reason that insurance companies don’t cover ketamine treatments is that they don’t have to. Insurance companies have maintained that ketamine treatments are experimental and that they should not have to pay for them despite the substantial research...

The holidays are here. The holiday radio stations are playing their full-time programing, and the season of sales is in full swing. This time of the year is magical and fun, except that it often isn’t. On average, across the country and the world, people are generally happier around the...

I wanted to take a moment to answer a common question: Will ketamine cure me? Ketamine is a very powerful antidepressant, relieving symptoms in about 70% of patients with even severe and treatment symptoms within the first 3 infusions. However, it isn’t a magic wand that will sweep away life’s...

As we continue through 2020, I realized we could use a blog post on addressing anxiety with some reliable and easy to use tips. This has been such a stressful time for most people. I’ve had patients who had been able to forgo treatments since 2017 come back now because...

A blog post by Pam Barnes, Office Manager at Lone Star Infusion: Many people who suffer from mental illness look for anything that is possible to help treat them. Since I have been working at Lone Star Infusion I have seen the results of how Ketamine works for people.  People...

We offer nitrous oxide inhalation treatments. Similar to ketamine: Nitrous oxide works on some of the same pathways as ketamine and may be a good option for severe treatment-resistant depression. The nitrous treatment is similar to a ketamine treatment – resting in a comfortable chair to receive the medication for...

A pyschologist's advice for mental health wellness for the quarantine we face with the Covid-19 pandemic: 1. Stick to a routine. Go to sleep and wake up at a reasonable time, write a schedule that is varied and includes time for work as well as self-care. 2. Dress for the...

The quality of sleep is such an important part of mental health, but it’s often overlooked for more exciting things.   8 hours of sleep? The first thing patients often tell me is that they don’t get a full 8 hours. Our culture really glamorizes 8 hours as ideal. But...

The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Intravenous Ketamine Outcomes for Adult Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression O’Brien, Lijffijt, Wells, Swann, and Mathew   SUMMARY: New peer-reviewed, evidence-based research, on treatments at Lone Star Infusion has been published! This paper was presented at a psychiatry conference and was published in the journal...

Of all the mood disorders, the least understood and the most stigmatized may be Bipolar Disorder. Manic depression, as it used to be called, is tricky to diagnose and difficult to effectively treat. Patients with bipolar disorder may have dramatic and rapidly shifting moods, swinging from euphoric, daring and frenetic...

I frequently see this with my patients: Ketamine treatments are often effective for depression and anxiety, but getting better can still take work. Getting Better: Ketamine is a fast acting anti-depressant – so unlike typical anti-depressants, patients may have mood improvements even after the first treatment. I see patients come...

Childhood trauma was long known to affect adult levels of depression and anxiety. But only recently has childhood trauma been definitively proven with scientific methods to leave long-lasting scars into adulthood. Childhood trauma makes any mental illness worse and makes any treatments less successful. Through our partnership with Baylor College...

A lot of patients are asking us about how their hormones affect treatments. At Lone Star Infusion, we have patients who are dealing with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), premenopausal symptoms, and post-menopausal symptoms. Although ketamine is still incredibly and impressively effective at treating 70% of patients with anxiety and...

    In considering ECT vs ketamine treatments or talk therapy vs conventional antidepressants here is an abbreviated list of key considerations:   Talk Therapy •Prices vary •Easily Accessible from many sources •Once a week for months or years •Possibly covered by insurance   Traditional Antidepressants •Slow acting, high rate...

At Lone Star Infusion we are thrilled that postpartum depression is getting more attention. Most recently the FDA has approved a new medication for postpartum depression exclusively- Brexanolone, which will be marketed by the brand name Zulresso by Sage Pharmaceuticals. About 15% of births, or 1 in 7, lead to...

The results of ketamine treatments for mood disorders – including depression, anxiety and PTSD – can be sustained over time through a combination of infusions in a series and maintenance treatments on a periodic basis.WHAT THE STUDIES SHOW:There is a significant body of research on ketamine including its uses, results,...

For treating depression with ketamine infusions: This study reviewing our results shows an overall response rate above 70% for patients who receive an initial series of treatments either once a week or twice a week. PDF: The Effect of Ketamine Infusion Treatment Schedule on Depression Severity   YOUR SCHEDULE OF...

How does ketamine work in the body? The short answer is that we don’t know, which is very common in medicine – we don’t know exactly how a lot of drugs work.We do know that ketamine produces important and useful effects.WHAT KETAMINE DOES:There are lots of things we do know:...

At Lone Star Infusion, we find that getting an appropriate, individualized dose appears to impact the quality of the results. It does not seem to be particularly important that patients have a ‘wonderful’ or ‘spiritual’ experience, although many patients say they do and we work to make the experience comfortable....

Psychedelics continue to show excellent results in treating depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine is available for administration in clinical settings. Does the psychedelic experience matter during an infusion, or is it simply important to get the drug?THE MANY DIFFERENT PSYCHEDELICS:A variety of novel and ancient psychedelic substances have been examined...

Ketamine is a tremendous and game-changing treatment option for mood disorders including depression, anxiety and PTSD. There are a few things that appear to make low-dose ketamine treatments less effective – notably benzodiazepines (often called benzos) and alcohol use.Benzodiazepines, like Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and others are commonly prescribed as anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills....

Some medications and procedures for depression can’t be combined easily. But ketamine can be added to other treatments and, in fact, we often recommend combining ketamine infusion therapies with other treatments for longer-lasting depression relief.There aren’t many contraindications for the use of ketamine and ketamine therapy does not disrupt the majority of...

How are we supposed to think about an article, like this one below, that posits that depression and anxiety are primarily caused by structural imbalances in the way we live our lives, such as structural problems like being the janitor instead of the CEO: “Is everything you think you know...

Despite new drugs being developed based on the success of ketamine, it looks like conventional ketamine treatments may remain the best option.As research and clinical results have increasingly demonstrated that low-dose ketamine is effective in treating depression over the last couple decades, a host of derivative drugs have been developed....

Intense, chronic pain can be debilitating. Many CRPS/RSD patients have lost jobs, friends and family relationships due to their illness. Many have been forced to give up activities they love and most also suffer with anxiety and depression related to their condition. Physicians and researchers are still puzzled by this...

I see a lot of confusion when it comes to this subject, and I think this is a good area to explore further:FDA-Approved vs Off-Label:Ketamine is an FDA-approved medication. The FDA approved indication for ketamine is as a sole anesthetic agent for diagnostic and surgical procedures. Ketamine is not currently FDA-approved for...

Beyond its conventional clinical use as an anesthetic agent, ketamine has increasingly shown good results in the treatment of other conditions. These other conditions are often grouped into the categories of mood disorders and neuropathic pain conditions. Here is a more detailed list:WE HAVE SUBSTANTIAL RESEARCH DATA AND CLINICAL DATA SHOWING KETAMINE...

Ketamine has a long history of medical use and the research to date supports ketamine as a safe and effective medication when administered by appropriately-trained medical professionals, such as anesthesiologists. It is an FDA-approved, and legal drug. It is one of the most commonly used medications throughout the world today.1 This...

Ketamine may be delivered by multiple paths: IV, IM, PO, sublingual, subdermal, intranasal, and rectal. Of these options, IV, PO, and intranasal administration for treatment resistant depression have all been specifically studied, and the results to date show efficacy in all modes. There are physicians offering ketamine by different routes....

What is it like to have an infusion of ketamine for the treatment of mood disorders?To begin, all patients with symptoms that include depression are asked to complete a brief depression questionnaire and new patients are also asked take a brief one-time history questionnaire. After a few minutes checking in...

It is my opinion that ketamine infusions are a valuable treatment option for physicians in the practice of medicine.In October of 2016 the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners issued an advisory opinion against the use of Ketamine for the treatment of mood disorders and pain. I wrote to the...

Ketamine was created in 1962. It was the first dissociative anesthetic agent in modern medicine, meaning that at high doses it can create a strong feeling of disconnection from one’s self and reality. In this trance-like state surgery can be performed without causing a patient pain and distress. Since it...

Magnesium appears to be related to healthy neural activity and magnesium appears to improve the action of ketamine at the neuron synapses when the two are given together. With good probable benefits and minimal downsides magnesium is likely beneficial as an addition to ketamine infusion therapies.What is magnesium:Magnesium is a...

Ketamine offers the possibility of rapid reduction of depressive symptoms, and may be an excellent option for people struggling with postpartum depression.Postpartum depression can be severe and sudden. It isn’t usually a great time to have to wait weeks and weeks for a typical antidepressant to begin working. Typical antidepressants...

For a terminal illness ketamine may be a really great treatment option. Psychedelic drugs and their derivatives, such as ketamine, ospielp patients cope with existential concerns, and can reduce anxiety leading up to death. Ketamine infusion therapies can offer end-of-life patients peace of mind.Patients who have access to psychedelic medications...

Much of modern medicine relies on doctors and other health care professionals working together in coordinated teams of experts – each person doing what they do best to take the best care of the patient. Ketamine therapies should follow the same model, and it just makes good sense to have...

I started Lone Star Infusion, PLLC to safely provide ketamine as a life-changing treatment option for patients in the Houston area.Ketamine is a well-known and powerful anesthetic agent that can also provide rapid relief to patients with severe depression, PTSD and other debilitating conditions. I saw a need for this...